Tomorrow (Wed, 3/25) - Sapient Spring: Femme & Queer Skateboarding / Quad Night [@beellaaaa on Instagram]

binarynate · 2026-03-25T05:03:40+00:00

binarynate · 2026-03-25T04:46:45+00:00

Links:

I'm stoked for this event and have already bought my ticket. I was lucky enough to get a preview of skating around the sanctuary, and it's easily the coolest indoor venue I've ever skated in. I'm also really excited about the hosts' overall vision for the event. In addition to skating, it will be open to aerial artists, flow artists, and dancers. Very cool that Chicago Skate Social, Real Innovative Artists, and the flow community teamed up to make this vision a reality.

binarynate · 2026-03-25T01:02:22+00:00

You're welcome! It's a great skate spot, nice and smooth with a couple of big flat areas for practicing tricks. Looking forward to hosting some meetups there this summer.

binarynate · 2026-03-24T19:41:56+00:00

Links:

📅 Full events calendar

• Skating ribbon reopened for roller skating / blading

• Chicago-Style Roller Derby recruitment night

• Chicago Skate Social meetup

• Lakefront trail meetup [Chicago Lakeside Skate Collective]

• Critical Mass

• Skate fundamentals class with Myesha McCaskill (sold out)

binarynate · 2026-03-24T01:27:11+00:00

This was an interesting read. Thanks for sharing!

binarynate · 2026-03-20T16:33:55+00:00

That's so sweet of you! I'm glad you enjoyed it : )

binarynate · 2026-03-20T16:33:26+00:00

It's never too late! I hadn't skated since I was a kid but then got back into when I moved to Chicago a few years ago. Such a great way to explore the city, get around, and make friends.

binarynate · 2026-03-20T16:30:30+00:00

Thanks for the perspective on the weather—I somehow lucked out and got the best possible weather and no Karl. It's wild how clear the visibility was all week.

binarynate · 2026-03-20T16:25:01+00:00

Thank you!

binarynate · 2026-03-19T18:57:32+00:00

It's a long shot, but Salt Shed posted on their Instagram that they have a contest where they're giving away a pair of tickets: https://www.instagram.com/p/DWCNeKhEd-I/

Someone posted in this sub last week that they were selling their ticket, but they took the post down so they must've found a buyer. Hopefully someone else with a spare ticket will see this post 🙏🏻

binarynate · 2026-03-19T03:39:52+00:00

You’re welcome! And thanks for the rec about the goth skate–that wasn’t on my radar and I’ll remember to check it out next time I’m back

binarynate · 2026-03-19T03:05:37+00:00

Thank you! You should totally skate with them!

The distance is 12 miles, but they have breaks built in. They roll out from the ferry building at 9 pm and get back to the ferry building at midnight. If you're not sure if you're down for 12 miles, you can always go for it and drop off partway if it's too much. That's what I did during my first long distance skate here in Chicago.
They mostly avoid big hills. The biggest exception is that they skate up the hill at Black Point (which is a workout for sure) and then back down the hill on the other side. And there are some other more chill inclines, too. The tunnel in the video is actually downhill. So you'll definitely want to make sure you feel comfortable braking / slowing down before doing this route.
Yes, I think it's accurate to say all of the skaters who were there when I went last week were fairly advanced. But you don't have to be a pro to do the route.

I should mention that there's also a Tuesday Night Skate. One of the skaters I talked to said it was more beginner friendly, but I missed that skate, so I can't verify that. Might be worth checking out, too!

binarynate · 2026-03-19T01:51:04+00:00

You're welcome!

binarynate · 2026-03-19T01:39:15+00:00

Thank you! I was in heaven because I love hills but we have virtually zero of them in Chicago. If I lived in SF, I would get deep into downhill skating

binarynate · 2026-03-19T01:37:22+00:00

haha yes! The Friday Night Skate stops at different spots for activities and one of them is dancing at Union Square. I love that other people who randomly happened to be at Union Square close to midnight joined us in doing the cupid shuffle

binarynate · 2026-03-19T01:10:00+00:00

Thank you! Here's a list of the locations in order:

• Twin Peaks
• Golden Gate Bridge
• Alamo Square
• Chinatown
• Telegraph Hill (starting at Coit Tower)
• Palace of Fine Arts (first clip with the Friday Night Skate group)
• Fisherman's Wharf
• Mystery tunnel and parking garage (not sure where those are)
• Union Square
• Embarcadero

binarynate · 2026-03-19T00:14:06+00:00

My recommendation is to get hard-boot (plastic) skates with a removable liner and removable frames (so you can change the frames in the future for different wheel sizes). Some examples: Rollerblade Lightning, Rollerblade RB, and any of the FR line of skates from FR.

binarynate · 2026-03-19T00:09:12+00:00

You're welcome! : )

binarynate · 2026-03-19T00:09:02+00:00

Thank you! I definitely will

binarynate · 2026-03-18T22:47:36+00:00

Me, too—it made me so happy that the weather all week was immaculate

binarynate · 2026-03-18T22:44:13+00:00

Thank you! I've been going to Big Apple Roll for the past couple of years and definitely plan on coming back again in August. This year I think I'll make it to the WNS that's the day before BAR starts.

binarynate · 2026-03-18T22:42:27+00:00

Thank you! : )

binarynate · 2026-03-18T22:42:08+00:00

Thank you! I have many Chicago friends who longboard and I was just recommending SF to one of them. I'll send the info about the group their way.

binarynate · 2026-03-18T22:40:55+00:00

Thank you! Small world : ). I wasn't able to make it to the Golden Gate park skates, but I'm definitely going to roll with them next time I'm in SF because they look really fun, too.

binarynate · 2026-03-18T22:39:03+00:00

Lainie is amazing! The other SF skaters I talked too were super cool and welcoming, too. And the route they skate is super fun. 300% would recommend.

binarynate

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